INDEED, MOLLY REPORTING FROM
PENNSYLVANIA, THANKS, MOLLY.
JULIE: OKAY FOR MORE NOW ON
PENNSYLVANIA ELECTION AND
SPECIAL IMPLICATIONS FOR
UPCOMING MIDTERMS WE GO TO JEFF
MASON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
TALKING TO US, THIS IS A STATE
AND AN AREA WHERE REPUBLICANS
HAVE SEEN GAINS FOR 15 YEARS, A
LOT AT STAKE HERE.
IF THE GOP CANDIDATE LOSES THE
RACE HOW BIG OF A LOSS WOULD
THIS BE FOR THE PRESIDENT?
>> I THINK IT WOULD BE A HUGE
LOSS FOR THE PRESIDENT AND
YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT TO SAY
THAT REPUBLICANS HAVE DONE WELL
IN PENNSYLVANIA AND IN THAT
PARTICULAR DISTRICT, AS YOUR
REPORTER MENTIONED, PRESIDENT
TRUMP WON 20 POINTS IN 2016
ELECTION, SO THE FACT THAT IT'S
COMPETITIVE AT ALL IS A BLOW.
AND IF THE DEMOCRAT WINS, IF
CONNOR LAMB THAT WOULD BE SEEN
AS BELLWETHER FOR MIDTERM
ELECTIONS AND ALL THE SPECIAL
ELECTION THAT IS WE HAVE BEEN
WITNESSING SO FAR HAVE BEEN
LOOKED AT WITH AN EYE TOWARDS
NOVEMBER.
AND THAT'S WHY YOU'RE SEEING THE
WHITE HOUSE ROLL OUT THE BIG
GUNS, I MEAN, THERE'S A REASON
THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS GOING
THERE TONIGHT AND THAT HE HAS
SENT PEOPLE LIKE VICE PRESIDENT
PENCE AND KELLYANNE CONWAY
ALREADY.
JULIE: IS THE WHITE HOUSE
WORRIED?
>> I THINK THE FACT THAT HE'S
SHOWING UP AND THE FACT THAT
THEY'VE HAD SO MANY OTHER
HIGH-POWER PLAYERS MEANS THEY
ARE WORRIED, YES, AND I THINK
THEY ALSO WANT -- EARLY ON THIS
YEAR, RIGHT NOW TO START
ENCOURAGING REPUBLICAN TURNOUT
EVEN IF THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN IN
THIS PARTICULAR SPECIAL
ELECTION, THEY NEED TO TRY AND
REVERSE THE MOMENTUM IF IT'S NOT
BEHIND THEM TO GET REPUBLICANS
ENERGIZED AND SHOWING UP AGAIN
FOR THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS IN
NOVEMBER AND THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT THE PRESIDENT ALSO
ADDRESSED WHEN HE SPOKE TO THE
CPAC CONGRESS EARLIER THIS YEAR.
JULIE: MOLLY SPOKE WITH SOMEBODY
THERE, A VOTER WHO EXPRESSED HER
CONCERN FOR UNIONS, NOW, IN THE
STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA YOU HAVE A
LOT OF COAL MINERS, MEMBERS THAT
ARE MEMBER OF THE UNION,
BLUE-COLLAR STATE WORKERS, WHY
WOULD THIS CANDIDATE ONE OR THE
OTHER BE SCRUTINIZED FOR SOME
REASON IF THEY ARE ANTIUNION?
>> WELL, UNIONS -- SUPPORT FOR
UNIONS IS TYPICALLY A DEMOCRATIC
STRENGTH AND NOT REPUBLICAN
STRENGTH, SO THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT COULD ABSOLUTELY HELP THE
DEMOCRAT AND THE INDIVIDUAL WHO
IS INTERVIEWED BY MOLLY
INDICATED THAT THEY HADN'T HAD
MUCH LUCK TALKING TO THE
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE, SO I'M
SURE THAT IS SOMETHING IF IT
RESINATES WITH A LOT OF UNION
VOTERS, THAT COULD HELP
DEMOCRATS.
THAT SAID, YOU ALSO HAVE THE
COUNTERBALANCE, POTENTIAL
COUNTERBALANCE FROM THE POLICIES
THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS BEEN
IMPLEMENTING IN THE LAST WEEK IN
TERMS OF STEEL AND ALUMINUM
TARIFFS INDICATING WITH THAT HIS
DESIRE TO HELP WORKERS AND HE'S
CERTAINLY WORKED OR TRIED VERY
HARD TO SPEAK VOCALLY IN FAVOR
OF COAL WORKERS AS WELL.
BUT IT COMES DOWN TO, YOU KNOW,
ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL AND THIS
IS LOCAL RACE AND WE WILL HAVE
TO SEE HOW IT PLAYS OUT.
JULIE: WHAT DOES IT SAY THAT
THIS IS A TIGHT RACE?
>> THERE'SWAY OF ENTHUSIASM FOR
DEMOCRATS.
JULIE: WHY IS THAT?
>> THIS IS A MIDTERM YEAR, AFTER
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION,
HISTORICALLY THE RACES TWO YEARS
AFTER A PRESIDENTIAL WILL BE A
BIT OF A CORRECTION TO WHAT
HAPPENED IN THE PRESIDENTIAL
RACE TWO YEARS BEFORE.
JULIE: RIGHT.
>> THAT SAID, IN ADDITION TO
JUST A LOT OF DISCON TINT AMONG
DEMOCRATS WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP
THANKED IS LEADING TO BIG
TURNOUTS, LED TO BIG TURNOUT IN
TEXAS AND VERY RECENTLY THERE
AND IT'S LEADING TO BIG TURNOUTS
IN OTHER RACES AND THE QUESTION
IS, WILL THAT MOTIVATION AND
THAT MOMENTUM CONTINUE IN
NOVEMBER WHEN THE STAKES ARE SO
HIGH.
JULIE: RIGHT, THAT'S WHAT I WANT
TO TALK ABOUT NEXT, LOSS IN AN
AREA THAT TRUMP HANDILY WON IN
2006 -- 16 IN THE CAMPAIGN,
EXPLAIN THEN WHY A LOSS THERE
WOULD MAKE IT PARTICULARLY HARD
FOR REPUBLICANS TO HOLD ONTO
THEIR CONTROL OF THE HOUSE?
>> SO THE HOUSE IS UP FOR GRABS
AND HAVING RIGHT NOW THE FACT
THAT THE PRESIDENT AND THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY CONTROL BOTH
THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE AND THE
WHITE HOUSE MAKES IT MUCH EASIER
FOR HIM TO GET HIS POLICIES
THROUGH.
IF YOU HAVE A RACE LIKE THIS
WHICH SHOULD BE EASY FOR
REPUBLICANS TO HOLD, IT MEANS
THAT THE RACES THAT AREN'T EASY,
THE RACES ARE THAT ARE ALREADY
PERHAPS LEANING DEMOCRATIC OR
ARE PURPLE DISTRICTS WILL BE
THAT MUCH HARDER FOR REPUBLICANS
TO KEEP IN LINE AND THAT'S --
THOSE ARE THE TV'S THAT PEOPLE